Time Marches On
by speed killz
Summary: Setsuna often reminisces about the past, and what it was like to protect Konoka, but now, going into grade 9, she realizes that Konoka doesn't need protection anymore, and she realizes that while she was training, she missed watching Konoka grow up.
1. Chapter 1

Detailed Summary: Setsuna has passed grade eight, and it is near the end of the summer. With grade nine approaching, she barely notices, and lives her life through memories of days long gone. She still practices swords, and still devotes herself to protecting Konoka, but as she finds herself thinking about the past and what it was like to be Konoka's hero, she realizes that in this day and age, she doesn't really have to be. With the Kansai Magic Association settled down, and nothing lurking on the horizon, her devotion to her sword is only a symbol of her unwillingness to give up the past, and live a life where she doesn't always need to be prepared to defend Konoka.

Suddenly, it's the night before the first day of grade nine, their last year of junior high, and Setsuna realizes that she has missed out on so many things, missed so many chances to watch Konoka grow up and change, and she realizes, it hurts to one day wake up, and find that the young girl you've sought to protect for so long, isn't a young girl anymore, and doesn't really need your protection anymore.

Time Marches On, Chapter One.

Sakurazaki Setsuna finished practicing her 1000 head strikes, and lowered her sword, her arms burning from her effort. She was breathing heavily, but she was happy. The more she practiced, the more she noticed an increase in her skill and speed, and the more able she was to protect Konoka-Ojou-Sama. She smiled at that, as she sheathed her sword, ending her early morning practice. To some, it was a feat worthy of admiration, to others, it was the same old song, but the truth was, Setsuna had been coming to Konoka's aid since way back when they had first met. Setsuna put her sword and sheath inside her fabric sword case, and slung it over her shoulder, heading back to her dorm.

As she walked, Setsuna stared at the floor, as she remembered the first time she had met Konoka-Ojou-Sama. She pulled up the faded memory from somewhere deep in her brain, and as she walked, she let herself relive it.

_Setsuna hugged her wooden shinai to herself, feeling her stomach twist in nervousness as she was led toward the gate. Today she was told she was getting to meet someone new, someone her own age. She was told that her new friend was the future princess, so she must be kind, or face punishment. Setsuna had agreed, not knowing what a princess was, but knowing that she must treat her new friend kindly. As her guardian pushed open the gate, Setsuna felt another twinge of nervousness, and she ducked behind her guardian._

_"Now, now, Setsuna, come forth and greet the princess." Her guardian said, putting her hand on Setsuna's head._

_Setsuna shook her head. "B-but, Motoko, I-I'm scared!" She said. Her guardian smiled. "It's okay, she's really nice!"_

_Setsuna looked up at her guardian, unsure, and Motoko smiled, nodding. "It's okay." She whispered. "It's fine."_

_Setsuna nodded, and stepped out from behind the hakama of her guardian, hearing a ball bouncing against the ground. Setsuna's eyes widened as she saw a young girl about the same age as herself, bouncing a ball all by herself, her long brown hair done up, and a beautiful kimono on._

_"U-um, hello, I'm Setsuna Sakurazaki." Setsuna said, bowing. The bouncing stopped, and the girl turned to face Setsuna, looking at her._

_"Hello Setsuna, my name is Konoka Konoe." The girl said, returning the bow. She was holding the ball at her waist, but she paid it no mind as she greeted Setsuna._

_"Would you like to play with me, Setsuna?" Konoka asked, holding out the ball. Setsuna looked at it. She had never played ball before, and she wondered what she should do._

_Her decision was made for her as Motoko gently pushed her forward, whispering in her ear. "Go play with the princess, perhaps you will become fast friends." She said._

_Setsuna timidly took a few steps forward, and nodded. "I-I would like to play." She said. Konoka smiled, and bounced the ball again on the ground. "Would you like to play catch?" She asked. Setsuna nodded, not really understanding._

_"Okay, but you'll need both your hands for this one!" Konoka said, tossing the ball into the air. Setsuna hurriedly tossed her shinai to the side, and ran toward the ball as it plummeted toward the earth. Setsuna watched it fall, then reached out and caught it in her hands. She stared at it, then looked at Konoka._

_"What do I do now?" She asked. Konoka grinned. "Why, you throw it back, of course!" She said. Setsuna nodded, and copied Konoka's earlier movement, tossing the ball into the air. A few seconds later, Konoka caught it, and she smiled. "Good throw, Setsuna-chan!"_

_Setsuna blushed lightly, and nodded. "Thank you, Konoka." She said. Konoka was about to throw it back up into the air, when she noticed Setsuna's outfit._

_"Setsuna, are you a samurai?" She asked, studying her kimono._

_Setsuna shook her head. "Not yet!" She said. "But I will!"_

_Konoka giggled. "Ahh, thats cool!" She said, looking at Setsuna with admiring eyes. "I wish I could be one too!"_

Setsuna smiled, lost in the mist of her faded memories, and didn't notice when she rounded the corner, and almost bumped into Asuna.

"Ahh! My apologies Asuna-san!" Setsuna said, making sure Asuna was okay. "I was thinking deeply about something, and I..."

Asuna shrugged. "It's okay, Setsuna-san." She said. "No worries." Then she smiled. "Ahh, I can't believe it!" She said. Setsuna looked at her, worried that she had done something wrong. "What?"

Asuna grinned happily. "The day after tomorrow is the first full day of grade nine classes, our last year of junior high school!!" She said. "And not only that, Negi has applied to be our teacher, and the headmaster said yes! He also let the whole class stay together!" She said. "It'll be like grade eight all over again!" She said. "Ahh, our last year...we'll have to party hard to make up for it!"

Setsuna smiled. "I thought last year you said that grade nine was for serious work, and grade eight was for screwing around." She said.

Asuna nodded. "Yeah, but now that I think of it, serious work doesn't sound fun, so this year will be all fun!" She said.

Setsuna nodded. "Oh, by the way, where _is_ Negi-Sensei?" She asked. Asuna nodded in the direction she had just come from.. "Should still be at Evangeline's resort, it's only been half an hour, so about only half a day over there." She said.

Setsuna nodded. "Ahh, I see."  
"Why?" Asuna asked casually. Setsuna shook her head. "No reason, just, Konoka-san is with him, so I want to know where he is." She said. "To make sure."

"Huh? Konoka?" She asked. Setsuna nodded. "Yeah, she's learning magic from him." She said.

Asuna nodded. "Ahh, I see..."

Setsuna nodded, then bowed. "See you later Asuna." She said, heading for Eva's resort. Asuna waved over her shoulder, and disappeared around the corner.

_"Y-you want to be one?" Setsuna asked, unsure of what she meant. Konoka nodded, smiling. "Yeah! If I can wear a cool kimono like yours, and use a sword like you, then I think it would be fun!" She said. Setsuna smiled. "Yeah, but it's a lot of hard work, although, having my own shinai is pretty cool." She said. Konoka laughed, and tossed the ball to Setsuna. "Catch, Setsuna!" She said. Setsuna laughed, and took a few steps backward, head tilted up, arms outstretched, hands reaching toward the ball. _

_She caught it, and threw it back, watching as Konoka's kimono rippled against her as she ran forward, to catch Setsuna's awkward pass._

_"Ahh, G-gomen nasai Konoka!" Setsuna said, bowing. Konoka giggled. "It's fine, this makes the game more fun!" She said. Setsuna nodded. "Ahh, I see." She said. Konoka grinned at her, her chocolate brown eyes lighting up. "Hey Setsuna, would it be alright if I see your shinai?" She asked._

_Setsuna looked over to where it lay on the ground, and she went over to pick it up._

_"You want to see it?" She asked. Konoka nodded. "Yes, may I hold it?" She asked. Setsuna nodded. "Yeah, sure, it's fine." She said. She passed it to Konoka, holding it with one hand by the handle, and Konoka took it with both hands. As soon as Setsuna let go, Konoka dropped it, not expecting it to be so heavy._

_"AHH! I'm sorry Setsuna!" She said, worrying that she had broken or damaged it. "I didn't know it would be so heavy!"_

_Setsuna laughed. "Ahh, it's fine." She said. She bent down and picked it up, holding it in her right hand. "Would you like me to help you hold it?" She asked._

_Konoka noddexd. "Yes, please." She said. Setsuna got behind her, and put her arms over Konoka's shoulders, holding the shinai out in front of her. _

_"Hold it like this, see?" She asked. "Hook your left pinkie under the handle like this, and grip it near the top of the handle with your right hand, and extend it out...There you go!" Setsuna said, letting go. Konoka held onto it for a few more seconds, then tried a swing with it. Once she got it going though, she found it hard to stop, and the heavy shinai pulled itself out of her grasp again. _

_Setsuna laughed, and picked it up, patting her on the shoulder._

_"That's okay Konoka." She said. "I did that too my very first time!"_

_Konoka grinned. "Really?" She asked. Setsuna nodded. "Yeah, actually, I did something worse. I couldn't even hold it my first time, but you managed to hold it and swing without struggling too much!" She said._

_Konoka smiled, then laughed. "Thank you Setsuna!" She said. Setsuna smiled at her. "No problem!"_

_"Can you show me some moves?" She asked. _

_Setsuna looked down at the ground, then back at Konoka. "You sure?" She asked. Konoka nodded. "Yeah, I want to see what kinds of things you can do with it!"_

_Setsuna nodded, then hefted her shinai up. She held it in front of her, and imagined that she was standing in front of her target dummy. After a second of planning out some basic moves, she lunged forward, slicing through the air, leading with the tip of her shinai. From there, she stopped, and dropped her left shoulder, sliding her left foot back and ducking her head for a shoulder height left bound slash. As she raised her head, she caught a glimpse of admiration from Konoka, but she was concentrating too hard for it to have any effect. She threw in a couple more side slashes, then downward strokes, and finished off with some parrying and handle-clashing with her invisible foe._

_"That's all I know right now." She said. "But soon, when Motoko thinks I'm ready, she's going to teach me 100 Cherry Blossom Cut!" She said. "And I have to learn soon, because soon she's going away to stay at an all girls dorm, some place called Hinata Inn, or something, and I won't be able to see her as often." She said. _

_"But you'll still be here, right?" Konoka asked, picking up her ball. Setsuna nodded. "Yeah, and I'm glad, because your my new friend, and I want to play with you lots!" She said, smiling. Konoka laughed. "Yeah, me too!" _

_Suddenly, a new voice cut through the air, and it brought Setsuna to stiff attention._

_"Setsuna! Our visit is over, collect your belongings and come!" _

_"Yes, Master Motoko!"_

_Setsuna turned to Konoka, and rested her shinai on her shoulder. "Well, I have to go, but hopefully I'll be back soon so we can play some more." She said. Konoka nodded. Setsuna bowed, and started walking away, slightly sad that the visit was so short._

_"Bye bye Se-chan!" _

_Setsuna turned, and saw Konoka waving to her. Setsuna waved back, then Konoka took off running toward her, catching up to her in a few seconds. Still, she didn't slow, and she crashed into Setsuna, taking her into her arms and hugging her tightly. _

_"Come back soon!" She said, letting go. Setsuna smiled, and nodded. "I will, don't you worry."_

Setsuna opened Evangeline's door, knowing that if they were inside the resort, then it would be pointless to knock. She walked through the house, and down into the basement, walking onto the summoning circle marked out on the floor. A second later, it activated, and she closed her eyes against the bright light that assaulted them. When she opened them again, she was standing on the same summoning circle, but now she was inside the resort.

She looked out across the open sea, far below her, and saw tiny magical blasts going off, flashes of light that were obviously Negi-sensei's Sagitta Magica. She tried to spot Konoka and Negi, but she couldn't see them. She sighed, and started walking across the high bridge, the lack of handrails and guards no bother to her.

A few minutes later, she came into the resorts large open front area, and as she sat down on the ground near the building, she could see Konoka and Negi both releasing magical arrows into the sky. While Konoka's magicks were mostly geared toward healing, Evangeline had insisted that she learn some good offensive spells, just in case anything happened.

Now, Konoka was mastering the unincantated 99 Magic Missles technique that Negi was fond of. It was a huge magic drain, and would probably make Konoka pass out if she were to use it outside of the resort, where the air was magically enhanced, but for each time she used it inside the resort, she got more used to the drain it put on her, and she gained another small amount of control over her vast magical powers.

"Again!" Negi said, carefully watching her to see if she was getting tired. "This time, if you're feeling up to it, do the unincantated 99 magic missles, then do it again, launch another volley of magic missles!" He said. "B-but don't push yourself too hard, I don't want you to get sick or hurt!"

Konoka laughed, and Setsuna smiled upon hearing it. They still didn't know she was sitting against the building, about ten yards away, so this gave her the chance to observe Konoka as she practiced.

"Don't worry Negi-kun, I'll try my best!"

With that, Konoka faced the open arena, and a few seconds later, released 99 Magical Missles, firing them into the sky. Before they had even reached the top to explode against the "sky" of the resort, Konoka released another volley, and it was a beautiful sight to watch the 198 Magical Missles fly through the air. Negi clapped, happy that she had gotten both off, and Konoka watched them all explode against the roof of the resort, gasping at the sight of two Magical Missles that had collided in mid-air and had exploded prematurely, only a couple hundred feet above their heads.

"Excellent, Konoka!" Negi said, pleased with her progress. Just then, Evangeline came out of the doorway next to Setsuna, and she looked at her, surprised.

"When did you get here, Setsuna?" She asked. Setsuna looked down at the small girl. "About five minutes ago, just in time to see Konoka launch off two volleys of unincantated Magical Missles." She said. Eva laughed. "Hah! That's nothing! Boya ain't pushing her hard enough." She said. Then she smiled. "Well, no matter, I'm about to take over her training, and give her a lesson in pain."

Through pure reflex, Setsuna's hand shot to her sword, but then she realized that even Eva wouldn't really hurt Konoka, so she relaxed.

"What are you going to be teaching her?" She asked. Eva shrugged. "I've an idea..."

Setsuna watched as Eva walked out onto the field, and she slunk back behind a supporting column, so that her presence wouldn't be known, and inturrupt their practice.

"Guess what Master?" Negi said excitedly. "Konoka-san just launched two volleys of Magical Missles, unincantated!" He said.

Eva cracked that evil smile at which she was so proficient, and laughed. "Well, Boya, I must admit that you are a fine instructor, and you're raising her magical stamina just fine, but you haven't done any pain stamina training." She said. "If she gets hit in battle, she'll crumple!"

Negi nodded. "I-I know Evangeline, but I haven't the heart to put her to pain!" He said. Eva pushed him aside. "Then step aside, Boya, I will gladly have the heart to show a bit of pain to this little flower!"

Konoka flinched as she caught sight of Eva's bared fang, and she knew that Eva could be a little excessive in her training, for she had often healed Negi's wounds that he had recieved in training with Eva, but she knew that she couldn't back out of it now.

"Well, first lesson in pain:" Eva said, holding up a finger. "If you can deal it out, you can take it in." She said. "Any attack you can launch, you have to be prepared to take as a direct hit."

Konoka nodded.

"So we'll start with those 99 magic missles at which you're so proficient." Eva said, pacing the floor. "Launch those, then, after a period of five seconds, call out 'Return!', and take the full force of your returning missles." She said.

Konoka gasped. "I-I have to...?"

Eva shook her head. "No questions, just do it!" She said. "Negi's already done it, both in training and when he wanted to launch an attack on Chachamaru." She said. "When he didn't have the resolve to attack her, he recalled his magic, and took the hit himself."

This hardened Konoka's resolve, but she still wasn't sure she could do it.

"I..I..."

Eva smiled, and leaned in close to Konoka. "Consider this a rite of passage." She said. "Everyone goes through it, hell, even your beloved Setsuna did."

This was the final hook, and Konoka steeled her resolve. "Okay, I'll do it!" She said.

"B-but, Kon-"

"No helping!" Eva said, clamping her hand over Negi's mouth. "Unless, you're willing to exchange blood for help. For every magic missle that you take for Konoka, I get a shot of your sweet, delicious blood."

Negi shook his head. "No, I would gladly exchange, but this is something Konoka must experience for herself." He said. "You are right, we all did, and it's something that has to be done."

Eva nodded. "Good." She turned to Konoka. "Go, now, before I double your task!"

Konoka nodded, and immediately launched the missles, surprising everyone with the speed of her unincantated spell. Konoka took a deep breath and started counting to five, watching the deadly glowing missles fly high into the sky.

"...Three...Four...Five! Return!"

The missles turned, and rolled back through the sky, setting a course for Konoka, streaking through the air toward her faster than she would have imagined possible. As they came down to earth, and leveled out, speeding toward her, she took a deep breath and closed her eyes, knowing that impact was milliseconds away.

All 99 magic missles struck her in the chest, and knocked the wind out of her, throwing her backwards. She cried out as she felt the impact bruise her skin, and the magic force it's way back into her body, which was not a pleasant feeling. She just had time to register the sensation of flying backward through the air, before she realized she was going to hit the stone steps behind her really hard. She tensed up, and squeezed her eyes closed, thinking that Setsuna had done the same thing some time before, and had survived. She was going to also, and what would really make it worth it was that she was going to tell Setsuna all about it, and hope that Setsuna would be proud of her.

A few seconds later, and her feet gently tapped against the ground, and she could tell she was in an upright position. She waited for the impact, but it was surprisingly gentle, as her head and body hit something semi-soft, and a pair of arms wrapped around her waist. Konoka opened her eyes, and realized that someone had caught her, keeping her from falling onto the ground.

"Are you okay, Konoka-Ojou-Sama?"

Konoka's eyes widened, and she spun around in Setsuna's embrace, throwing her arms around Setsuna's neck.

"Se-chaaaaaaan!" She said, holding on tight to her friend. "Thanks so much for coming!"

Setsuna blushed, and released Konoka, but Konoka still held tight to her, hugging her. "Are you alright, Konoka?" She asked. Konoka nodded happily, looking up at Setsuna. "Yeah, I'm fine..." She trailed off, and her mouth opened slightly, as she looked into Setsuna's eyes.

"A-Are you okay, Ojou-Sama?" She asked. Konoka nodded, then smiled. "You're so beautiful, Se-chan!" She said, hugging her again. Setsuna blushed. "Th-thank you, you also are very beautiful." She said. Konoka grinned, her chocolate brown eyes shining in the sunlight.

Suddenly, Eva was beside them, glaring at Setsuna for catching Konoka and preventing her from getting any more hurt by her magical arrows' impact.

"Take your yuri-con self somewhere else, Setsuna!" She said. "I won't have any of it in my resort while I'm trying to train Konoka!"

Setsuna blushed at her words, while Konoka merely giggled. "So, where were you before you came here, Se-chan?" Konoka asked, ignoring Eva.

Setsuna felt the loss of contact as Konoka let go of her, but she said nothing about it.

"Ahh, long story short, I was training again, and this time I..."

A/N: Well, this is the first chapter of my fic titled Time Marches On. It is planned to be stretched across four chapters, but it may flow across more as more ideas come to me. For now though, four is the planned number, so please read and review accordingly. Thanks for reading!


	2. Evangeline's Resort

Time Marches On, Chapter 2.

A/N: Italics are memories, while Italicized and underlined text is Setsuna imagining, or creating, thoughts inside her head, imagining various scenarios.

Setsuna finished her story, and Konoka grinned happily at her. "Well, I still have a lot of training left to do with Negi-kun, so what are you going to do?" She asked. Setsuna shrugged. "I might as well train with Eva-san." She said. Konoka shook her head. "Didn't you just get finished training?" She asked.

Setsuna nodded. "Yeah, but if there's one thing you can't get enough of, it's training!" She said happily. Konoka was silent for a second, then gave her another hug.

"Okay Se-chan, just don't get hurt." She said. Setsuna smiled. "I won't."

Konoka walked back to Negi's side, and asked him what they should work on next. Negi thought about it, and was about to answer, when Eva cut in. "Well, seeing as you did pass the test I just gave you, I think it's time to continue your healing magic training." She said.

Konoka looked around. "B-but no one is injured...?" She said. Eva grinned.

"Boya!"

"Ye-yes Master?" He asked, bowing.

"Lic Lac La Lac Lilac! 199 Arrows of Darkness!"

Negi didn't even have time to curse, or raise a shield, as he was hit by 199 arrows from five feet away. The impact picked the small boy up off his feet, and threw him into the air, before dropping him onto the ground. He lay there groaning, while Setsuna tried to figure out how he was still alive.

"Well, seems you have someone to heal!" Eva said, laughing. Konoka nodded, and ran over to Negi, worried.

"Not so fast!" Eva yelled, and Konoka halted, staring nervously at Negi.

"That damn 3 minute time limit is annoying as hell, so you're going to wait for five, then heal him." She said. Konoka looked at Setsuna worriedly. "I-I don't know if I can go that long!" She said.

Setsuna smiled at her. "Don't worry Ojou-Sama, you'll be fine." She said. Konoka returned the nervous smile, and waited, watching Negi roll around on the ground, gasping for air and clawing ineffectively at the space around him, looking for his staff.

"Umm..."

"Leave him, it's only been two minutes!" Eva said. "In fact, I think we shall have some tea. Chachamaru!"

Chachamaru came out of the building, carrying a tray laden with three tea cups, and a pot of tea. She didn't appear to notice Negi, instead, she placed the tea tray on the ground, and they were all forced to sit, as Chachamaru poured them tea.

"Mmm, this is delicious tea, Chachamaru!" Konoka said. Setsuna agreed, and Chachamaru thanked them. Eva said nothing, but continued to drink it, and that was all the praise Chachamaru needed. Her Master hardly ever drank tea that wasn't to her taste.

"Oh no! He's not moving anymore!" Konoka cried, looking to where Negi lay, about 15 feet away.

"Ahh leave him, I'm sure he's fine." Eva said. She poured herself another cup, and took a sip. "Well, looks like you're quite determined to become strong, and proficient in the arts of magic." Eva said, turning her gaze on Konoka.

Konoka nodded happily, forgetting about Negi.

"Yeah, I want to learn as much as I can, so that I can become useful!" She said. Setsuna glanced at her, eyebrow raised questioningly.

"Useful?" She asked. Konoka nodded. "Yeah! I mean, I love it that you came to my rescue many times during that Kyoto field trip, but I don't want to be a burden on you, and even if you keep having to come to my rescue, I want to be able to hold my own until you come to my side." She said.

"Konoka..."

"This resort is no place for your implied yuri!" Eva cried, hitting Setsuna in the head with her tea cup. Setsuna was about to respond, when Eva cut her off. "Anyway, it's time for your precious Konoka to go heal Boya." She said.

Konoka's head shot up as she remembered Negi, and she jumped up. "OH NO! NEGI!" She ran over to his side, and checked his wounds. His chest was badly bruised and cut by the impact, but that wasn't the worst of it. He had hit his head against the stone floor when he hit the ground, and he was bleeding badly. Konoka placed her hands on his chest, and tried to access the magical power she knew she had, but it wouldn't come.

"Damn, what to do?" She asked herself. She tried again, but the only thing she could think of was that it was two minutes past her limit.

"Damn limit...I wish there wasn't any limit on my powers!" She said. Then she got an idea. She had gotten so used to thinking that there was a limit on her powers, that there had actually become a limit. What if she thought the opposite?

_There is no limit on my powers, I'm free to heal whatever damage is done, no matter how long ago it took place..._

She kept that thought in her head, and a few seconds later, she felt the first tendrils of magical power escaping the nervous block. She grasped it, and used it, sending it into Negi's body, healing his wound. The magic rushed to his head, and the wound started closing, then fading. When it was gone, the magic centered around his chest, fading his bruises, and relieving the tender skin, healing a broken rib she didn't know he had.

When she was finished, she stood up, and sighed. Negi stirred at her feet, and when he opened his eyes, he saw Konoka's face.

"Did you do it?" He asked. "Did you manage to break the three minute barrier?"

She smiled. "Even when recovering from a wound, you're a teacher first, and a kid last." She said. "Yes, Negi-kun, I did it! Five minutes!"

Negi's eyes widened, and he jumped up. "Good job Konoka!" He exclaimed.

Konoka smiled happily, and Setsuna put her hand on her shoulder. "You did great, Konoka-Ojou-Sama!" She said, smiling at her. Konoka grinned happily. "Thanks Se-chan!" She said, hugging her. Setsuna hugged her back, then felt a deep blush darken her face. Since when had Konoka-Ojou-Sama's breasts been so large?

Setsuna released Konoka, and she caught a glimpse of Eva shaking her head.

"Okay, they still have a few more things to run through, so for now, I am your enemy, Setsuna Sakurazaki!" Evangeline said. Setsuna nodded, and tightened the ribbon holding her hair in place.

"Okay, I'll see how long I can last against you." She said, grinning.

"Oh, Se-chan, is that _that_ ribbon!?" Konoka asked. Setsuna turned to her, and saw her pointing to her hair. "Huh?" Setsuna asked. "Oh, uh, yeah, the one you gave me...I still use it." She said. Konoka stared at Setsuna, then slowly smiled. "Your so sweet, Se-chan!"

"I-ah, Kono-"

"Enough! Attack, or I will!" Eva said, taking a sword from Chachamaru. Setsuna cast one more glance at Konoka, but she was facing Negi, so she merely dashed forward, drawing her sword.

"Finally, it was getting boring watching Negi train Konoka!" Eva said, parrying Setsuna's strikes.

Setsuna felt the sword in her hand shudder as it collided with, then slipped off, Eva's kodachi. Setsuna dodged backward, putting some distance between herself and Eva. If her long sword ever happened to be parried by Eva's kodachi, then she would have to get away as quickly as possible, for she would leave herself open for attack. True, her long sword kept Eva at bay, but once Eva managed to block an attack from Setsuna's Yuunagi, then it left Setsuna wide open for that tiny kodachi to do some real damage, for it would place Eva immediately inside her zone. And with her large sword, it would be impossible for her to manoevre it between herself and Eva, and she would be destroyed.

Setsuna thrust forward with her sword, but the tiny kodachi was there, parrying it off to the side. Before Setsuna could withdraw her sword, and form a block, Eva had dashed inside her zone, placing herself between Setsuna, and her sword. Eva sliced upward with her tiny kodachi, cutting a path through her clothing and cutting her skin from her right hip to her left shoulder. Setsuna retreated, and Eva allowed her to escape, putting Eva once again outside Setsuna's zone. Setsuna realized that Eva was serious, and she remembered that she was also undead, and wouldn't die too easily. Setsuna smirked, and crouched, holding her sword at shoulder level, ready to thrust it toward Eva. As she crouched, she stressed the seams of her shool uniform shirt, and instead of ripping at the buttons or seams, the few threads that had escaped Eva's slash broke, and the front of her shirt fluttered open, revealing her wrapped breasts. Eva smirked, and slowly, lazily, waved the kodachi around, it's tip slicing through the air, tracing deadly patterns as sunlight glinted off the blade.

Setsuna shrugged off her torn shirt, and the only thing that covered her was her wrap. Her skirt wasn't too ripped, and still covered her sufficiently, so her modesty was protected.

Setsuna dashed forward and thrust toward Eva. Eva parried it much the same as she had before, raising her kodachi so that it's point was toward the sky. As the sword sliced through the air toward her, Eva raised her sword, extending her arm upward. Setsuna's sword tip raced right by the sword blade, aimed for Eva's face. Just before the blade would have sliced through her face, the kodachi's handle guard caught the blade, and as Eva raised her arm, it pushed the sword thrust up and out of the way.

This time though, Setsuna was ready. As her sword thrust was pushed up and to the left, she ducked, bringing her sword around. She spun to the left, and felt Eva's kodachi slice past her face. Setsuna continued spinning, and as she completed her 360 degree spin, her sword tip sliced across Eva's stomach, her sword unable to guard against such a powerful slash.

Eva disregarded the hit, and took a step backward, knowing that Setsuna had just turned her blocked sword into a powerful attack.

"Well, seems you've gotten serious, Setsuna." Eva said, healing her wound. Setsuna cursed, and raised her sword. "Yeah, I have." She said, sweating slightly.

Eva grinned dangerously, and reversed her grip on her kodachi handle. "Perhaps I should, too..."

Setsuna didn't take the time to reply, instead, she dashed forward, slashing down from above...

_Konoka released her from the hug, and Setsuna realized that she was leaving her new friend, and she didn't know when or if she would come back. _

_"See you soon, I hope." Setsuna said, bowing once more. Motoko was calling her name, so she turned, and started to walk away. _

_"Wait Se-chan!" Konoka called. Konoka ran up to Setsuna, and pulled her ribbon out of her hair. Her beautiful brown hair fell down, and curled around her shoulders and down her back. _

_"Take this!" Konoka said. "This is my favorite red ribbon, and I want you to have it, because you're my first best friend!" She said. Setsuna blushed, and thanked her, holding onto the ribbon tightly, so she wouldn't lose it. "Thank you Konoka." She said. With that, she turned, and walked away, following Motoko._

_As she walked, she looked behind her. Konoka was there, waving goodbye to her. Setsuna waved back, and continued walking. She took a few more steps, and when she looked back again, Konoka was bouncing her ball against the ground, just like when she had met her. _

_A sharp command from Motoko, and Setsuna once again face forward, clutching her shinai and ribbon close to her. Once Motoko had resumed walking forward, Setsuna snuck one final peek back toward the royal house, but Konoka was nowhere in sight._

_Setsuna finally faced forward for good, and as she walked, she kept her head down, for she didn't want Motoko to notice her tears. _

_Some time later..._

"Hey, you guys almost done?" Negi called, staying a safe distance away from the slashing blades that were Setsuna and Evangeline. A few seconds later, they stopped, and lowered their swords. Eva realized that she was unable to make Setsuna give up, and that it was technically a draw, since they had been inturrupted by an outside force.

"Ahhh, I guess we can takea break for now." Eva said. She glanced at Setsuna, and was surprised that she had kept fighting after having been wounded so many times.

"Hmm, guess you did alright this time, Sakurazaki." Eva said. "But next time, I will crush you."

Sestuna nodded, and sheathed her sword. The fighting had gone on for about an hour after Negi and Konoka had given up training, and Setsuna was exhausted.

She flopped down on the ground, resting her head on the first step leading into the resort. She sighed, and closed her eyes, relaxing. She wondered if she could get away with going to sleep for a few minutes, then suddenly felt hands on her stomach. She opened her eyes, and came face to face with a worried Konoka.

"You okay Se-chan?" She asked. Setsuna smiled. "Yeah, I'm fine." She said. "Thanks Konoka." She said. Konoka smiled, and indicated her wounds. "Would you like me to heal your wounds?"

Setsuna nodded. "Yeah, sure, go right ahead."

Konoka nodded, and placed her hands on Setsuna's bare stomach. Seconds later, Setsuna felt the magical power flowing through her body, healing her wounds and easing the pain she felt. Setsuna closed her eyes, and took this time to enjoy Konoka's kindness and caring. A few seconds later, Konoka's hands slid from her stomach to her waist, to heal the cut of her hip, and Setsuna tried to keep her body from trembling underneath Konoka's soft hands. A second later, and the cut on her hip was healed, and then Konoka's hands slid up to her shoulders.

"Are you alright, Setsuna?" Konoka whispered, her mouth by Setsuna's ear. Setsuna slowly opened her eyes, and realized that Konoka was leaning over her, her hands still on her shoulders.

"Y-yeah, why?" Setsuna asked. Konoka shrugged gently. "I don't know, you were shaking when I was healing the wound on your hip, did it hurt?" She asked.

Setsuna shook her head, blushing lightly. "No, it was fine." She said.

Konoka nodded. "Okay." She got up, and reached down to help Setsuna up. Setsuna accepted her hand, and let Konoka help her up.

"Come on, we're all tired, so let's get some food and get some rest." Konoka said. "Negi and Eva are already in the resort, getting food." She said.

Setsuna nodded, and followed Konoka into the resort.

"How was your training?" Setsuna asked her as they walked. Konoka grinned. "It was excellent! I've learned so many new things while training with Negi-kun!" She said.

Setsuna smiled. "That's great!" She said. "Keep it up and you'll become the most powerful healing mage the world has ever seen!"

Konoka laughed. "Yeah, that would be so cool!"

They walked into the kitchen, and went straight for the fridge. They got some juice, and got some pizza from the fridge. No one questioned how a box of Pizza Hut pizza had gotten inside Evangeline's resort, they just took a couple pieces each, and headed for the pool, so they could be alone for a while.

"So, what are your plans for tomorrow?" Setsuna asked, sitting on the edge of the pool, and kicking her feet in the slightly warm water.

Konoka came and sat down beside her, staring at the sun as it sunk below the horizon.

"Hmm, well, I was planning on asking you out, if you weren't busy." She said.

Setsuna nearly choked on her pizza. "A-a-ask me out?" She asked. "Like, on a date?"

Konoka laughed. "No, silly, ask you out for the day, ask you to come spend the day with me." She said. "After all, it is the last day of summer, and the only day left before our first day of grade nine." She said. "I want it to be the best day of the summer, and I want to spend it all with you..." She trailed off, and looked at Setsuna. "If, of course, you don't have any plans."

Setsuna shook her head. "N-no, no plans at all!" She said. Konoka smiled. "So, will you hang with me all day tomorrow?" She asked.

Setsuna nodded. "Yes, I will Ojou-Sama." She said. Konoka smiled. "Well, now that we got that settled, theres only one thing left to do." She said. Setsuna looked at her. "And what's that?" She asked.

Konoka smiled. "To rest up tonight, especially after all that training, then hang out all day tomorrow!" She said.

Setsuna smiled. "Ahh, but I think you're forgetting something." She said.

Konoka looked at her. "What's that?" She asked, puzzled.

"Each day in here is only an hour outside." She said. "When we leave tomorrow, it'll be about nine o'clock in the morning, on the second last day of summer holiday." She said.

Konoka snapped her fingers. "Ahh, that's right!" She said. "Hmm, well, we'll figure out something!" She said. "Well, actually, it's sort of a good thing, we can use all day tomorrow to take care of everything, so that nothing pops up tomorrow to inturrupt our date!" She said.

Setsuna became embarrassed again. "D-d-date?" She stuttered. Konoka laughed. "It's so funny to watch you get flustered over stuff like that." She said. Konoka looked out toward the ocean, and the sun's last rays were streaking through the sky, signalling that nightfall was only minutes away.

"Ahh, Se-chan..." Konoka sighed. She slipped a bit closer to Setsuna, and leaned against her, resting her head on Setsuna's shoulder. Setsuna felt her heartbeat increase as Konoka moved closer to her, and she became inexplicably nervous as Konoka rested her head on her shoulder.

Setsuna felt excitement and nervousness course through her for almost ten minutes, before she started to calm down. She wondered if Konoka was asleep, but she didn't want to move to look, lest she disturb her.

A few minutes later, and Setsuna got up the nerve to put her arm around the shoulders of the beautiful girl next to her. When Konoka said and did nothing, Setsuna relaxed, thinking that she was definitely asleep.

"I didn't know you still had that ribbon, Setsuna." Konoka said softly, surprising Setsuna. Setsuna was about to move her arm, and Konoka knew it. She reached up, and took Setsuna's hand, holding on tight to it, and not letting go, forcing her to keep her arm around her shoulders.

"Uh, y-yeah, I've had it ever since you gave it to me." She said. "I took really good care of it, because it was your favorite." She said. "I wore it almost every day."

Konoka giggled, and slipped her arm around Setsuna's waist. "That's so sweet of you, Se-chan." She said.

Setsuna blushed lightly, but said nothing.

_This is nice..._ Setsuna thought. _Just being here like this with Konoka is so nice, in a place like this, where enemies aren't a reality, and it's always sunny, a place where we could live together forever, and not have to worry about a thing...I wouldn't have to train so hard, if we could just stay here. In here, enemies don't exist, Konoka would never be threatened again..._

Setsuna watched as the sky slowly darkened, but neither of them were willing to move just yet.

"This is a great place, eh, Setsuna?" Konoka asked.

Setsuna nodded softly. "Yeah, a beautiful place, I wouldn't mind spending my life in here...with you..." She said.

Konoka giggled again, a sweet, soft sound, and she nuzzled Setsuna's cheek. "I wouldn't mind either." She whispered.

Behind them, watching from the doorway to the building, stood Negi, Eva, and Chachamaru.

"It's cute that they can finally have some time to themselves, eh Master?" Chachamaru said. Eva merely glared at her.

"I told that Sakurazaki that my resort wasn't the place for her nonsense yuri!"

Negi laughed. "Well, regardless, it is time alone for them, so let's make it time alone, and go to bed, leave them be." He said.

Chachamaru agreed, and Eva merely grumbled that she might as well, it was better than watching two girls together. Chachamaru remarked that Master seemed jealous of Sakurazaki, while Negi merely laughed.

An hour later, Setsuna and Konoka stood, stretching. They had talked a bit more, wondering what they were going to do for the last two days of summer vacation.

Neither of them had many ideas for the first day, and Konoka refused to tell Setsuna about what she had planned for the last day, so their conversation had come full circle back to what they should do tomorrow, something neither of them still had any idea about.

"Ahh, well, we should go to bed." Konoka had said, yawning. Setsuna had nodded, stood, and helped Konoka up. Setsuna was about to walk toward the rooms inside the resort, when Konoka seemed to lose her balance, falling toward Setsuna.

Setsuna caught her, and Konoka laughed, thanking her. "I stood up too fast again, damn low blood pressure." She said, smiling. Setsuna stared at Konoka's beautiful face, and she felt her heart skip a beat.

"K-Konoka, I...You're so beautiful, I..." She stopped, and slowly leaned down, her arms still around Konoka's waist.

Konoka looked up at her, and slowly closed her eyes, as Setsuna leaned down toward her. Setsuna closed her eyes, and her lips were inches from Konoka's, when she realized she was doing something she should not. She pulled away, and sighed, hating herself.

"Damn, I'm sorry Konoka." She said. "I shouldn't have..."

Konoka opened her eyes, face slightly red, and smiled up at Setsuna. "I-it's fine." She said. Setsuna's eyes widened as she realized that Konoka wasn't smiling her usual smile, the one she used to dispel Setsuna's feelings of despair or guilt. She looked hurt, and her smile was incredibly sad.

"Konoka, I-"  
"Come on, time for bed." Konoka said, cutting her off. She pulled away from Setsuna, and started walking toward the resort.

"Damn..." Setsuna cursed one more time, before following Konoka inside.

Konoka laid down on one of the beds inside, and pulled the covers up over herself. "Goodnight Setsuna." She said softly.

"Goodnight Konoka." Setsuna responded sadly, dropping down onto her bed. She sighed, and didn't bother covering up; the warm night air was enough. She stared up at the ceiling, and thought about today. She had witnessed a lot of growth in Konoka's magical skills, and it was surprising even now, how much she had grown.

"Of course I'm surprised," She scoffed to herself. "I've been too busy training to really pay attention to what she was doing..."

"The training with Eva was good though, I learned some good stuff today..."

She tried to put the events of the last half hour out of her mind, and she rolled over onto her side, staring at the shape of Konoka under her blankets. Eventually, her mind stopped registering what she was seeing, as she blanked out, thinking about her sword training.

"That kodachi Eva was using, it sure is a fine weapon...I remember my first kodachi..."

_Setsuna was excited. Today, she was going to trade her shinai for a real sword! She was going to trade her shinai for a small sword, called a kodachi. About a foot and a half long, almost two feet, it was better suited to her size, and it's weight and sharpness would get her used to having a real blade._

_"I wonder if Konoka-Ojou-Sama will come with me when I get it..."_

_Motoko smiled at her. "Do you want to go see if she will come with you?" She asked. Setsuna smiled, and nodded. "Yes, please!!"_

_She had many reasons to be happy today, she knew. First, Motoko was back from the Hinata Inn, or wherever she was staying, for two weeks, and second, she was finally getting a new sword. Thirdly, but most importantly, she was going to see her friend, and see if her friend would come with her when she got her sword. _

_It wasn't long before they reached the Konoe house, and they were admitted immediately, and taken into the main hall. From there, it was a short wait, before Eishun and Konoka came to them, to inquire what they were there for today._

_"Hi Konoka-Ojou-Sama!" Setsuna said, waving happily at her friend. Konoka smiled, and waved back, then got a confused look upon her features. _

_"Ojou-Sama?" She asked. Setsuna nodded. "Yes, Motoko told me that I have to be polite to you, and use your full title."_

_Motoko smiled. "It's only appropriate." She said. She then turned to Konoka's father._

_"We would like to know if Konoka can come with Setsuna while she goes to get her kodachi." She said. Eishun smiled, and rubbed his chin, looking down at the two hopeful children._

_"Well now, let's see." He said, kneeling down so he was eye to eye with Setsuna. "Do you like Konoka-Sama as a friend?" He asked her. Setsuna nodded, conscious of the status of the man she was talking to. "Y-Yes elder." She said. "I do, and I would wish that you would allow her to travel with us whilst I get my kodachi." She said. _

_Eishun smiled, and patted her head. "Well mannered, polite, and straightforward, that one. She'll be a wonderful friend for Konoka." He stood up, and nodded to Motoko._

_"Yes, she may go with you if she wishes." He said. Konoka's eyes widened, and she nodded happily, stepping forward and hugging Setsuna. Setsuna, ten years old and coming into the idea that only guys and girls hugged, blushed furiously, but did not deny her friend's embrace. She instead returned the hug, not daring to look at Eishun. _

_When she let go of Konoka, Motoko took her hand and led Setsuna away, down the hall. Konoka took Setsuna's hand, and held on tight, smiling at her best friend.  
They walked down to the temple where she was learning her sword skills, and entered, calling upon the temple master. He came out, and smiled at Setsuna. _

_"Hello there, Setsuna." He said. "Ahh, I see you've brought a friend today." He said. Setsuna nodded. "Y-yes, heaadmaster, this is Konoka Konoe, she came along to keep me company." She said. The headmaster nodded, and stroked his graying beard. "Now, if I remember correctly, you're here to exchange your shinai for a kodachi." He said. Setsuna nodded. "Yes, that is correct." _

_The headmaster nodded, and disappeared into the temple, returning a few minutes later with three kodachis of varying lengths. He laid them out on the ground in front of Setsuna, and told her to take a pick._

_Setsuna knew what she was looking for, she had to find one that was easy for her to carry, was small enough that it wouldn't drag when she wore it, but was something she would be proud to wield. She took a few minutes trying out different blades, before settling on the shortest one. _

_"I like this one, headmaster." She said. The headmaster laughed, and gathered up the other two. "Indeed, then that is the one you will have." He said. Motoko smiled, and told Setsuna to take care of her sword, for it was a gift from the headmaster, and must be well appreciated. _

_Setsuna nodded, and turned to Konoka, showing her the sheathed sword. "Isn't it great, Konoka?" She asked. Konoka smiled. "Yes, it must be amazing to have your own sword!" She said._

_Setsuna laughed. "It is pretty cool." She agreed._

_Konoka once again hugged Setsuna, and congratulated her on getting her sword. "You did good Setsuna, you worked really hard to get it too, so you deserve it!"_

Setsuna rolled over onto her back again, and wiped the tears out of her eyes. Just thinking about Konoka made her sad, they used to have a good relationship, but somewhere, Setsuna had gone awry, and now things were awkward between them. Even more so now that Setsuna had almost kissed her...

"Ahh, Konoka, did you know what you were getting your thirteen year old self into when you made _that_ promise to me...?" She asked, thinking of another memory, this one more painful than the last.

She didn't expect an answer, so she rolled over, and closed her eyes, knowing that she needed to go to sleep. Perhaps, when they woke up, things would be back to normal, and Konoka would have forgotten about the almost-kiss.

Setsuna, finding it hard to sleep, got up and moved to another bunk, one further away from Konoka, Negi, Eva, and Chachamaru. She had her own way of going to sleep, but it was a bit awkward to do it near everyone else, even though they wouldn't know, no matter how close they were. After all, they couldn't read minds...

Setsuna dropped onto another bunk, and covered up, hating the thought of her body being visible while she thought of Konoka. She closed her eyes, and imagined herself and Konoka back in grade eight. She envisioned herself sitting at her desk, doing work, when suddenly, Konoka was standing in front of her.

_"Hey, Se-chan!" She would say, while smiling that smile that always made her heart skip. Setsuna would not get nervous this time, she would instead act cool, and lean back, tossing her pen onto her desk. _

_"Hello Konoka-Ojou-Sama." She would say. "What's up?" _

_Konoka would run her fingers through her hair, and blush lightly. "Ahh, I was wondering if you would meet me by my dorm after class, I have something I want to talk to you about." She said. Setsuna would merely nod. "Okay, sure, no problem." She would say. _

_"Great! See you then!" Konoka would say, waving over her shoulder, and returning to her seat as the teacher came in. _

Setsuna smiled, and decided to skip imagining how the rest of the class would go. She would skip directly to the part after class. She rolled over, her back facing her fellow sleeping friends, and continued to imagine what would happen.

_Setsuna leaned casually against the wall, and waited. She had gotten here a few minutes ago, but Konoka should be here soon. No sooner had she thought that, than Konoka appeared around the corner, walking toward her. Setsuna waved, and Konoka stopped in front of her. _

_"Hey Konoka." She said. "What is it you wanted to talk to me about?" She asked. Konoka smiled. "Ahh, I was wondering if you would like to go out with me?" She asked._

_Despite her intentions of being cool, Setsuna felt her heart skip a beat, and her hands get slightly sweaty. "Y-you want to go out with me?" Setsuna asked._

_Konoka nodded. "Yeah, because the truth is, I've been in love with you for a long time now, and I..."_

Setsuna decided to stop there, feeling sleepy. She didn't know why, but thinking of that kind of stuff always helped her relax and find sleep. Setsuna yawned, and pulled the covers up further around her shoulders, falling into a light sleep that would deepen as the night wore on.

A/N: That's the end of chapter two, chapter three will be a good one, because not only is it Konoka's 'date' with Setsuna, Setsuna and Konoka still have to deal with what almost happened the night before. Hope you enjoyed this one, I hope chapter three will be out around tomorrow afternoon, or tomorrow around midnight, at the latest, if things work out. Thanks for reading, please review!


	3. Eva's Resort, Morning After

Time Marches On, Chapter 3.

A/N: Slight Kono/Setsu naughtiness this chapter, you've been warned. Oh, and if you can recognise the game I've given props to here in this chapter in the form of a juice box, let me know when you review.

Setsuna awoke as sunlight shone through the windows of the resort, illuminating the room, and dispersing the darkness of sleep. She yawned, and sat up, checking to make sure that Yuunagi was still on the floor beside her bed. It wasn't, and for a second, she panicked, before remembering that she had changed beds last night, so it should still be by the first one.

She walked over, and checked, finding that her sword was still indeed by the bed. She picked it up, and slung it over her shoulder, checking the other beds. Everyone was awake, and must be either in the kitchen, dining room, or outside, for the beds were vacant.

Knowing that no enemies could find them here, she set her sword down, and took her time finding Konoka, not really wanting to face her after last night.

"Ahh, now I know why Master said to avoid becoming attached to the subject." She said softly. "It just makes things awkward."

She walked outside, and shielded her eyes from the harsh sunlight, giving her eyes time to adjust. It was about eleven o'clock, and no one was out in the training field, so she turned, and went back inside, heading for the kitchen. As she neared the entrance to the kitchen, she could hear voices coming from the rear of the complex, so she figured that they must be outside at the pool. Setsuna quickly ducked into the kitchen, and opened the fridge, looking for something to drink. She was pretty thirsty, so she figured she would grab something to drink, then head out to the pool. She looked through the various bottles and cans, then spotted a drawer near the bottom of the fridge. It was labelled "Yue's Collection! Do Not Touch!"

Setsuna shrugged, and opened it, seeing a bunch of different juice boxes. She picked through them, reading the weird names. A couple she remembered seeing Yue drink before, like the Last Elixer flavour, and Milk Cola, but there were a couple in here that she hadn't even heard of, much less want to taste. She tossed aside a juice box labelled Vinegar Lemonade, and grabbed a juice box that was colored dark red, and caught her eye. She flipped it over, and saw that it had a strange design. On the front it depicted a man in red armor, with blonde hair, with the caption "Gives you the strength of a dragoon!"

Setsuna figured they had misspelled "Dragon", and looked it over. The flavour was apparently called "Dart", something she had never tasted before, but she decided to try it anyway. She grabbed it, and closed the fridge, walking down the hallway, toward the pool.

Setsuna stepped out into the sunlight, and winced again as the sun attacked her eyes. She waited until they had adjusted, before looking out toward the pool.

Konoka, Negi, and Eva were all in the pool, laughing and carrying on, and Setsuna took a second to watch Konoka. She really did look happy, playing like that. She sighed, and stuck the straw into her juice box. She took a sip, and was surprised at the taste. It tasted like dark cherries, with a hint of something alcoholic. She couldn't place the taste, seeing as it was one of Yue's strange drinks, but it was oddly tasty, something she had not expected.

Setsuna quickly drank the rest of the juice that was in the small box, then took a second to get her courage up, something she had never thought she would have to do. Taking a deep breath, she casually walked over to the edge of the pool, and sat down, letting the sun shine down on her as she kicked her feet in the pool.

Negi was the first to notice her, and he waved at her cheerily, calling out her name.

"Hey, you're awake Setsuna!" He said, wading over. Setsuna smiled. "Yes, I awoke just a few minutes ago." She said.

Konoka, upon hearing Negi call Setsuna's name, turned immediately. She smiled at Setsuna, almost nervously, and swam over, having been in the deep end of the pool.

"Hi Se-chan." She said softly, and Negi wondered what was up. Konoka was almost always more excited than that around her protector. Negi grinned, and waved, saying that he was going to talk to Eva about training. He quickly departed to the opposite end of the pool, giving them some privacy.

"Hi Konoka." Setsuna said, staring her in the eye. Konoka slid up closer to Setsuna, spreading Setsuna's legs so she could slide right up to her, making sure she kept eye contact. Konoka then slid her arms around Setsuna's waist, and held her tight, staring up at her. Setsuna was sitting on the edge of the pool, so she was about a foot taller than Konoka. Setsuna blushed mildly as she felt Konoka's body between her legs, but she knew that there was hardly anything sexual about their position.

"Are you okay, Se-chan?" Konoka asked quietly. Setsuna nodded. "Y-yeah, I'm fine, why do you ask?"

Konoka sighed. "Because of what happened last night, I didn't want you to feel bad or anything." She said. "I don't really understand what happened myself, but if you could explain it to me, and we could talk about it, I just don't want to make things awkward." She said.

Setsuna was silent for a minute as she thought, but she never broke eye contact, instead, the blush on her face only grew darker as she stared down at Konoka's beautiful face.

"Uh, well, I guess I just started to get too comfortable when I hugged you, thinking you were asleep, and when you talked, I got embarrassed, and made to pull away, but you stopped me, and I guess I just thought that maybe you didn't mind close contact like that." She said.

Konoka smiled. "Close contact with you doesn't bother me Se-chan." She said. She was silent for a minute, then gently rubbed Setsuna's back.

"Then what happened?" She asked.

Setsuna shrugged. "Well, when we were going to go to bed, and we got up, and you fell against me, it was like a natural reaction, I was feeling so good, and I was happy to be with you, and I guess I just relaxed too much." She said.

Konoka looked at her questioningly. "Relaxed too much?" She asked.

Setsuna nodded. "Inside this resort is a safe haven, it's almost impossible for enemies to find us here." She said. "I relaxed too much, without the threat of enemies around, and I guess I just went on autopilot for a while, and I ended up almost kissing you, but it was like a natural reaction, because I just felt so good beside you, and you mean so much to me, I just didn't..."

She stopped, and Konoka rubbed her back, thinking.

"It's good that you were able to relax so much, Se-chan." She said. "You've been tense for a while now, and it was good to see you relax for a while." She smiled up at Setsuna. "And that's okay, Se-chan," She whispered, smiling naughtily. "I feel so good when I'm with you too Se-chan, and I feel so safe, I can't help but wonder if I should kiss you too." She said.

Setsuna's eyes widened, and Konoka blushed. "Besides," She said. "Like the paparazzi said, girls our age experiment with that stuff all the time, so I don't think it's that big of a deal." She said.

"K-Kono-chan...?"

Konoka smiled widely. "Yeah, there you go!" She said. Then she calmed down, and returned her voice to a whisper. "Why did you seem so sad after you stopped?" She asked.

Setsuna shrugged. "I thought you would be disgusted by what I almost did." She said. "And I didn't want to ruin our friendship, and I thought I did." She said.

Konoka shook her head. "No, you didn't." She said. Setsuna smiled. "Why did you look so sad after I stopped?" She asked.

Konoka blushed. "Uh, ah, no reason." She said, looking away. Setsuna reached down and gently tilted Konoka's face back up so she could look her in the eye.

"Really?" She asked. Konoka said nothing, just leaned into Setsuna's touch.

"So why were you?" Setsuna asked, removing her hand from Konoka's cheek. Konoka sighed at the loss of contact, but smiled nervously. "Uh, 'cause, you know, I sorta wanted you to..." She mumbled, and Setsuna leaned a bit closer. "What?" She asked.

"I sort of wanted you to continue, so it was a bit disappointing when you didn't." Konoka said.

Setsuna said nothing, just thought about what she said. Konoka continued to stare at her, awaiting her reaction.

Suddenly, Setsuna smiled happily. "Well, I'm glad we got that settled out." She said. "Now we can enjoy our date tomorrow." She said. She reached up, and continued rubbing Konoka's cheek with her hand. "Thanks." Setsuna whispered, sliding her hand down from her cheek to her neck, and along her shoulders. Konoka said nothing, merely enjoying Setsuna's touch.

Setsuna stared down at Konoka, so close to her, and she was about to speak again, when a shout inturrupted her.

"Hey, what did I tell you, Sakurazaki!?" Eva yelled. "Take your damn yuri somewhere else!"

Setsuna blushed, and Konoka merely smiled, taking Setsuna's arm.

"Se-chan, you should come swimming with us!" She said.

Setsuna shook her head. "Ah, no, I'm not in a bathing suit..."

Konoka giggled, and yanked on Setsuna's arm, surprising her and pulling her into the pool. Setsuna splashed into the pool, instantly soaking her, and she held her breath as her head went under, Konoka's laughter dissappearing.

She felt the initial shock as the cold water hit her, and it sent tingles racing all throughout her body. She ignored it, and kicked off the bottom, breaking the surface. She glared at Konoka, who was laughing even harder now at the expression on Setsuna's face.

"Ah, Se-chan!" Konoka said. "You should have better balance than that!"

Setsuna dove forward, tackling Konoka. "You're gonna pay for that!" She said, her tackle carrying them underwater.

Setsuna opened her eyes underwater, and saw Konoka swimming toward her. Setsuna turned, and started swimming toward the deep end, looking over her shoulder to see if Konoka was following; she was.

When Setsuna reached the deep water, she turned and grabbed Konoka's arms. Konoka struggled against her, but she was no match for Setsuna's strength. Setsuna threw her toward the bottom of the pool, and started swimming for the surface. She was almost there, when Konoka grabbed her ankle. Setsuna felt herself being dragged downward, then she was released, Konoka shooting up past her.

Setsuna let herself sink down to the bottom, then kicked off the bottom, shooting toward the surface. As she broke the surface, Konoka was laughing, having beaten her to the top.

Setsuna growled, and splashed Konoka, making her shriek. Konoka splashed her back, and Setsuna merely turned around, letting the water splash onto her back.

"Aww, no fair Se-chan..."

Setsuna said nothing, and a few seconds later, she felt Konoka's hands on her shoulders. Then, Konoka wrapped her legs around Setsuna's hips, and held on tight, hooking her hands together around Setsuna's neck.

Setsuna gently reached behind her to help hold Konoka up, interlacing her fingers underneath Konoka's bum. She tried not to feel it, but she knew it was impossible. Setsuna, barely keeping afloat without the use of her arms, took a deep breath, and dove under the water, swimming for the shallower end. When she got halfway there, she came up, her toes touching the bottom of the pool, the water lapping at her neck. Konoka giggled, and held on a bit tighter, nuzzling Setsuna.

"See?" Konoka asked. "You don't need a swimsuit."

Setsuna laughed. "Yeah, but now my school uniform is soaking wet."

Konoka giggled. "Then we'll just have to get you out of it...and into something drier." She said.

Setsuna felt Konoka's lips moving against her neck as she talked, and she tried desperately, but without success, to ignore the shivers it sent down her spine.

"Someone's a little bit flirty today, aren't they?" Setsuna asked.

Konoka hummed happily. "I don't know what you're talking about, Se-chan!" She said, placing a tiny, timid kiss on the back of Setsuna's neck.

Setsuna couldn't ignore that, and she paused a second to enjoy the sensation.

"Ahh..Um, anyway, I gotta get out and get dried off." Setsuna said.

Konoka pouted. "Aww, that's no fun!" She said. Setsuna laughed, and decided to return Konoka's jests. "Well, why don't you come with me, keep me company and help me out a bit?" She asked.

Konoka's eyes widened. "Ohh, now that sounds like fun!" She said.

Setsuna laughed, and released Konoka. Konoka let go of Setsuna, and took one last dive underwater, before swimming toward the ladder that lead out of the water.

Setsuna merely pulled herself up over the edge of the pool, not wasting time with such trivial things like ladders. Konoka and Setsuna walked toward the building, neither saying anything after their verbal exchange in the pool.

Setsuna walked into an empty room, and Konoka followed her, and as Setsuna turned around, Konoka put her arms around her, shivering now that she was out of the pool. Setsuna laughed, seeing as she was clad only in a bathing suit. In fact, she herself was starting to get a bit cold, and she hugged Konoka for a few more seconds, taking a liking to the body heat that she was putting out.

They stayed like that for a few minutes, neither sayin a word, the only noise in the room was their breathing, and the steady _drip! drip! _of their water soaked clothes.

Konoka closed her eyes, and rested her head on Setsuna's shoulder, nuzzling her neck and sending more shivers down Setsuna's spine, as Konoka's warm breath hit Setsuna's cold skin.

After another few minutes, Setsuna slowly released Konoka, and Konoka eyed her wet school uniform.

"Did you bring another change of clothes, Se-chan?" Konoka asked. Setsuna shook her head. "Ah, no." She said.

"Silly, you came to a summer resort without a bathing suit and a change of clothes?" She asked.

Setsuna nodded, blushing. "S-sorry." She said.

Konoka laughed, and shook her head. "Ah, don't worry Se-chan." She said. "I'll go get you some, I think I have something that will work." She said.

Konoka told Setsuna not to move, and dissappeared out the door, going down the hall. Setsuna listened until her footsteps faded to nothing, then wondered what kind of clothes Konoka would come back with.

A few minutes later, and Konoka was back, with two towels, and two extra sets of clothes. She set the clothes on the bed, and brought one of the towels over, slinging it over her shoulder.

"Haha, Se-chan, you're soaking wet..." She said, coming to a stop in front of Setsuna. She took the corner of the towel, and dabbed at Setsuna's face, drying her face off, then moving down to her neck. Setsuna's hair was still soaking wet though, but Konoka ignored it, concentrating on her body. She gently slid the corner of the towel down Setsuna's neck, soaking up the water.

When she was finished, Konoka slung the towel back over her shoulder, and reached out, her fingers closing around the buttons that buttoned up Setsuna's shirt.

"Ahh, Konoka-Ojou-Sama?" Setsuna asked, unconsciously reverting back to Konoka's honorary title out of nervousness.

Konoka put a finger to her lips. "Shh, it's okay." She said. She undid the buttons, and slowly slid Setsuna's soaked shirt off her shoulders, dropping it to the floor. Setsuna's dark brown eyes reflected her worry, as Konoka gently towelled off her shoulders and upper chest. The water had soaked and ruined the wrap she had used for her breasts, and it was hanging loosely on her, and parts of the bandages were ripped. Konoka dried Setsuna's arms, and hands, then draped the towel over her shoulder again, leaving her hands free. She slowly reached for the decimated bandage, and Setsuna gasped, not sure if she wanted Konoka to do it. Konoka shushed her, and her fingers gently touched the top of Setsuna's chest, where her breasts started. Setsuna, even though her body was cold, her face was slowly getting warmer as she became more embarrassed. Konoka slowly peeled away the bandages covering Setsuna's breasts, and crumpled them up, throwing them into the garbage can in the corner of the room.

"Konoka, I-"  
"Hush Se-chan, you're beautiful." Konoka said softly. Her fingertips gently stroked the soft skin of Setsuna's bare breasts, before picking up her towel, and passing it gently over Setsuna's chest. Setsuna barely concealed a moan at all her touches, and her face darkened further. Setsuna knew that Konoka was being gentle, for the rough absorbing fibres of the towel would normally cause some discomfort to her when she dried herself off quickly, but Konoka was being as gentle as she could, and Setsuna only felt mild pleasure.

Konoka gently rubbed the towel lower and lower on Setsuna's body, getting her stomach, waist, hips, and lower back, kneeling down to make it less painful for her back.

Konoka set the towel down again, and this time, her fingers sought the zipper and buttons for her skirt. She gently undid Setsuna's skirt, and slipped it down off her hips, until it was on the ground, at her feet. Setsuna stepped out of it, and Konoka's eyes followed Setsuna's hips as she moved. Now, Setsuna had on only a pair of wet panties, and being white, they were more erotic than concealing. Konoka slipped her fingers under the elastic band that held Setsuna's panties up, and slowly pulled them down, until Setsuna could step out of those too. Now, Setsuna was totally naked, and Konoka took a second to appreciate Setsuna's embarrassed nudity. Setsuna was blushing hard, eyes filled with worry, and her arms were covering her chest. She had thrust her hips forward a bit, and was leaning back, and Konoka admired her long, well toned legs. She had turned her body slightly, to try to hide herself from Konoka's view, and Konoka couldn't remember a time when she had seen Setsuna so embarrassed and vulnerable.

"Ahh Se-chan..." Konoka said, putting her arms around Setsuna's naked waist. "There's nothing to be embarrassed about." She said. She kissed Setsuna's stomach, earning a squeak of embarrassment from Setsuna, and she giggled. She picked up the towel, and ran it down Setsuna's right leg, drying her off, then slowly ran it back up, getting the inside of her thigh. Just before she would have ran the towel between Setsuna's legs, she switched to her left leg, and dried it off as well. Now, the only thing left was...

Konoka gently pulled the towel behind Setsuna, and dried off her behind, the motion pulling Setsuna's hips forward a bit, then ran the towel between her legs, gently pressing it against her, to dry her off. She didn't rub, or otherwise move the towel back and forth, knowing that it might be a bit painful for Setsuna, so she just gently pressed the towel against her, the towel absorbing any moisture. As Konoka continued this, she noticed that Setsuna's legs had started shaking. Head down, her smirk was hidden from Setsuna's view, and she pretended not to notice; instead, she continued her gentle pressing, varying the pressure she applied.

Finally, Setsuna couldn't handle it any longer, and she leaned forward, opening her legs a bit, and placing her hands on Konoka's shoulders for support. She had been holding her breath, trying to maintain an even breathing rate, but now, she exhaled, her breath coming slightly faster.

"Oh, Konoka..." She moaned. "What are you doing...?" She whispered. Konoka looked up at her, pushing her bangs out of her face.

"Oh, is that not satisfactory?" She asked softly. "Then what about this?"

Towel still pressed against Setsuna, Konoka leaned forward, and placed her mouth against Setsuna's body, just above where her vagina started. Setsuna moaned louder this time, before she caught herself. Almost against her will, she spread her legs a bit further, and her grip on Konoka's shoulders tightened.

It was like the ultimate tease for Setsuna. With the towel pressed against her, she could just barely feel Konoka's fingers pressing against her sensitive areas, but it was enough to get her really turned on. Now, Konoka's mouth and tongue were teasing her even more. Her lips were just half an inch from her vagina, near enough to tease her and give her some mild pleasure, but far enough that it wasn't full on. It was driving her crazy...

And then, suddenly, it was over. Konoka was standing, helping Setsuna up. Setsuna, panting and trying to catch her breath, stood, and leaned on Konoka for a minute, and it felt like the mild pleasure would never fade from her body, and it left her wanting more.

"That's for not kissing me last night..." Konoka whispered in Setsuna's ear, and Setsuna said nothing, trying to assimilate all of what just happened. Konoka made sure that Setsuna could stand on her own, before leaving her, and going to the bed. She quickly towelled off, before slipping off her bathing suit. Her back to Setsuna, she quickly slipped on her panties, bra, jeans and T-shirt, not having to look to know that Setsuna had peeked at her while she was changing.

When Konoka stepped near Setsuna again, she had recovered, and was breathing normally now, but the feeling of arousal was still strong in her body. Her face flushed, she got dressed, thinking over what had happened.

When she was dressed, they gathered up their wet clothes, and exited the room, Setsuna still highly aroused, and Konoka grinning happily, knowing exactly why Setsuna appeared so flustered.

As they laid out their clothes on the ground, in the sun to dry, they could hear Eva and Negi still splashing around in the pool.

"I don't know when our friendship got that deep, and it's not as if I mind, but I'm going to get you back for that." Setsuna said, making Konoka laugh.

"That's fine Setsuna, you're welcome to try." She said. Setsuna laughed, and squeezed water out of her shirt, laying it out on the warm stones of the training ground.

When they had laid out all their wet clothing, including the towels, they grabbed to reclining chairs, and pulled them to the centre of the training ground, putting them side by side.

As they lay there, relaxing in the sun, with a gentle, warm wind blowing, Setsuna couldn't stop herself from looking over and admiring Konoka. Konoka noticed her movement out of the corner of her eye, and turned her head, smiling at Setsuna.

Setsuna blushed, and looked away. A few seconds later, she moaned in exasperation, loud enough for Konoka to hear her. Konoka looked over to see if she was okay, and she saw Setsuna squeeze her legs together, and roll over onto her side to face Konoka.

"God damnit, I'm _still_ aroused..." She whispered softly, blushing. "You got me so horny, then you left me..."

Konoka laughed, and said nothing, closing her eyes to enjoy the warmth of the sun on her face.

"Sorry about that Setsuna." She said. Setsuna smiled. "You're not sorry." She said. Konoka giggled. "I know."

They laid beside each other in silence for a while, enjoying the sun's warmth, and suddenly, far off in the distance, across the bridge, the teleportation device suddenly started glowing, a weak glow. Setsuna and Konoka knew what it was, and paid it no attention. It was sort of like a timer, during the last couple of hours that they had to stay in here, it would start glowing, and get increasingly brighter as they came closer to the time they were allowed to leave. When it shone it's brightest, the portal was open, and they could return to the real world.

Wordlessly, Konoka held out her hand, and a few seconds later, Setsuna reached out, sliding her fingers in between Konoka's, holding her hand. They stayed like that, enjoying the nice weather, knowing that they had more than three hours before the gate would be fully open, and they could leave. They planned on relaxing, and enjoying each other's company until they had to leave.

A/N: Hope you enjoyed that chapter, sorry it took so long to get out. Please review honestly, let me know what you think. At present, I've expanded it to 5 chapters, and coming up next chapter is their date together. It's almost finished, although the main idea of this story comes to completion in the late stages of the fourth chapter, and mostly in the last chapter. Again, hope you enjoyed this one, and please review!


	4. It's A Date!

Time Marches On, Chapter 4.

Setsuna woke up early, yawning as her cell phone went off, vibrating against her hardwood bedside table, and the alarm screaming out the Final Fantasy 8 theme song. She rolled over, and slammed her hand down on her phone, muting the vibrations against the desk. She picked it up, and opened it, shutting off the alarm. She got out of bed, and got her clothes that she had laid out the night before, heading for the shower. Yesterday she had arranged to spend the whole last day, today, with Konoka, and Konoka had freely called it a date, although Setsuna wasn't sure what it was. Sure they were spending all day together, but did Konoka really see it as a date?

Setsuna shrugged, and stretched before she took off her clothes, turning the shower on. It was too early to debate things like that, and besides, she could just ask Konoka directly when she got here.

With that off her mind, Setsuna cranked the shower dial to 'Hot', and stepped in, glad she had woken up an hour earlier than planned. Now she had time for a nice hour-long shower, with nothing to inturrupt her.

Konoka knocked on Setsuna's door, and waited, knowing that the young half demon should be up by now. A few seconds later, Konoka could hear Setsuna moving around inside, probably tidying a few things up before she answered the door. Another second, and the door was opened, and Setsuna was standing before Konoka, dressed in tight blue jeans that had a few rips and tears in them, at the knees and shins, as well as high up on the thighs. Her shirt was a tight white one that hugged her upper body tightly, and showed off her form. It was almost pure blank, except for a single graphic on the chest. Konoka looked, and smiled as she saw ' :D ' printed on her shirt.

"Hnn, you look good today, Setsuna." Konoka said, grinning at her. Setsuna smiled widely at her, and Konoka's heart skipped a beat as she realized that Setsuna had also done something different with her hair. Instead of her ponytail being oriented on the left side of her head, it was now a normal ponytail, in the back of her head, and her bangs were all free, hanging down in front of her eyes.

"You look good too, Konoka." She replied, indicating Konoka's outfit. Konoka herself was dressed in a pair of tight-fitting, faded-blue jeans, with a white belt looped through all the holes, and buckled in front. Her sleeveless shirt was pure black, and carried the words, "The place promised in our early days.", on it. Konoka had seen Ako with it a few days before she performed in the Mahora festival, and absolutely loved it, going out and buying a black one to counter Ako's white one. Her hair was combed straight down her back, her bangs flowing in front of her eyes.

"Thanks Setsuna." She said. Then she smiled, glad to be finally spending some time with Setsuna. "Well, ready to go?" She asked.

Setsuna nodded, and stepped out of her dorm, throwing Yuunagi over her shoulder. She locked her door, and walked beside Konoka as they headed toward the exit, leading to the outside grounds.

"So, have any plans for today?" Setsuna asked, looking over at Konoka. Konoka looked back at her, and smiled, nodding. "Yeah, I've got a few things planned, nothing fancy though." She said. "I just want to spend the day with you, after all." She said.

Setsuna smiled. "Of course. So, where to first?" She asked. Konoka grinned, and took her hand, holding on tight. "We should go and get some breakfast first." She said. "And I know just where to go."

Setsuna smiled, and walked beside Konoka, holding Konoka's left hand with her right, and carrying Yuunagi over her shoulder with her left. Outside, the sun was shining, and Setsuna was quickly reminded of their time in Eva's resort.

"Gonna be a nice day out, huh?" Setsuna asked. Konoka turned to her and smiled happily, squeezing her hand. "Yeah! And I get to spend it all with you, Se-Chan!" She said. "Makes me so excited every time I think of it."

It was early, and the sun was still low in the sky, but the warm orange glow it gave off was very pretty, and it assured them that the rest of the day was going to be sunny, and mildly warm.

They walked toward the main school building, and saw Yotsuba carrying a stack of donburi dishes toward the main doors.

"Ah, Yotsuba-San! Let me get the door for you!" Konoka said, letting go of Setsuna's hand, and running forward. Setsuna also took off at a jog, greeting Yotsuba as she took some of the donburi bowls off the tall stack she was carrying.

"Good morning Yotsuba-San." Setsuna said, taking five bowls from her tall stack.

"Ahh, good morning Setsuna-Chan, and thank you so much for the help!" The cook said, carrying her bowls inside the door.

"Where you headed with these?" Setsuna asked. Yotsuba yawned. "I'm taking them back to the kitchen, they're mostly empty, I run an early morning breakfast delivery service now, so these are the bowls from earlier this morning, about five A.M." She said. "Now I gotta rewash them, and clean up the kitchen from my cooking." She said.

Setsuna nodded. "Wow, you're doing pretty good for yourself, Sat-Chan." She said.

Yotsuba smiled. "No, I'm just doing what I love to do." She said.

They reached the kitchen, and set the bowls down on the counter.

"Say, Konoka," Yotsuba started, "Weren't you wondering yesterday if you could use the kitchen and the kitchen's back patio for a date or something?" She asked.

Konoka nodded happily. "Yeah!" She said. "But I don't want to intrude or anything, and get in your way." She said. Yotsuba smiled. "It's fine, I'm not scheduled to be making anything until near lunch anyway." She said. "But may I ask who you're dating...?"

Konoka laughed. "Why, Se-Chan, silly!" She said, brown eyes sparkling in the artificial light as she wrapped her arms around Setsuna. Setsuna felt herself blushing, and she adverted her eyes, not knowing why she did so.

"Ahh, I see!" Yotsuba said, laughing. "My mistake, I'm sorry." She said. "Sure though, feel free to use anything you want, I'll probably be out until noon anyway." She said. "You've been here before though, so you shouldn't have too much trouble finding anything." The mild blush on her cheeks faded, and she took off her hat and apron, setting them aside.

"Have fun you two!" She said, and unlike most others, she meant it in a genuine, innocent way. With that, she was out the door. Setsuna was about to ask Konoka what she was doing here, when Yotsuba popped back in the doorway.

"Oh, and by the way, your hair looks beautiful like that, Setsuna." She said, giving her the thumbs up, and a wink. With that, she disappeared again, before Setsuna had a chance to thank her.

"S-so, why are we in Yotsuba-San's kitchen?" Setsuna asked. Konoka grinned. "I'm going to make us breakfast, and then we can eat out on the patio, to start off our day." She said.

Setsuna nodded. "Ahh, I see." She said. "Sounds fun. What are you going to make?"

Konoka shrugged. "I was going to make chocolate chip pancakes, but if that sounds too plain, feel free to suggest something else." She said. Setsuna shook her head.

"Chocolate chip pancakes sounds really good, actually." She said. "Can I watch you make them? I'm not too good at cooking, so I might be able to learn a thing or two."

Konoka nodded, smiling. "Sure babe." She said.

Konoka threw a pan onto the stove, then reached into the cupboard above her to get a large plastic bowl. Setsuna jumped up onto the counter, to watch, as Konoka searched the lower cupboards for the pancake mix. She found the box, and lifted it out, setting it on the counter.

"Could you go grab me the measuring cups over there, Setsuna?" Konoka asked, slipping her hair into a ponytail, and securing it with an elastic from a bowl on the counter.

Setsuna nodded, and jumped off the counter, going where Konoka pointed. She found the different sized white cups sitting on the opposite counter, and she picked them up, bringing them over.

"Thanks, Se-Chan." She said. Setsuna nodded, and sat back on the counter, laying Yuunagi on the counter top, back against the wall. She leaned back against the wall, just short enough to clear the overhead cupboards, and relaxed, admiring Konoka's beauty.

Konoka flicked on the stove to low heat, and grabbed some Canola oil out of the fridge. She set the jug down on the counter, and started measuring the pancake mix and water, waiting for the pan to heat up to a reasonable temperature.

Once that was done, she tossed the ingredients into the bowl, and started mixing, making sure it was blended smoothly. She continued that for about a minute, then stopped, grinning at Setsuna.

"Looks like you've managed to relax quite a bit since last week." She said. Setsuna looked at her questioningly. "What do you mean?"

Konoka grinned. "Well, all last year, you only leaned against walls, holding your sword tight, glaring at everybody, but now, you seem able to relax a bit more, especially since coming out of Eva's resort." She said.

Setsuna stuck her tongue out at her. "I did not glare at everybody!" She said, laughing.

Konoka giggled. "Oh yes, it was glaring all right." She said. "Sorta like this." She said, narrowing her eyes, and frowning deeply. Setsuna laughed at her imitation, and shook her head.

"Okay, I get it." She said. "Now stop with the bad imitation of me." She said. Konoka laughed, and held the bowl and spoon out to Setsuna. "Could you stir this for me, babe?" She asked. Setsuna felt a streak of excitement run through her at being called 'babe', but said nothing, merely nodding. She took the bowl, and started stirring, while Konoka added oil to the rapidly heating pan.

Konoka tilted the pan back and forth, spreading the oil around, before setting it back down on the burner. Setsuna handed her the bowl of mix, and Konoka set it on the counter beside the stove. She reached into the cupboard above, and grabbed a bag of chocolate chips. She opened it, and poured a good amount into the mix, stirring it so they were evenly distributed.

"Now we just pour it into the pan, and watch it cook." She said, pouring the mix into the pan. "And when it's cooked on the first side, we flip it and cook the other."

Konoka smiled, and walked over to stand in front of Setsuna, while the pancake was cooking.

"Whatcha thinking about, Se-Chan?" She asked. Setsuna smiled. "Nothing, just admiring your beauty, like I always do." She said. Konoka smiled. "Your too kind, Setsuna." She said, leaning in to kiss her cheek.

Setsuna blushed lightly, and looked over at the pancake.

"How do you know when to turn it?" She asked. Konoka moved over to stand in front of the stove, and picked up a spatula out of a drawer. She slowly slid it under the pancake, and lifted the edge. "See how this area is getting a bit brown, but isn't really cooked all the way through?" She asked. Setsuna nodded, studying the texture of the pancake.

"That means it's not really done." She said. "Another way to tell, is if the uncooked side starts to have lots of bubbles rising up through them, then it's time to flip it."

Setsuna nodded again. "Aha, I see." She said. "Interesting..."

Konoka laughed. "Yeah, it's pretty simple once you get the hang of it. The only moderately hard part is flipping it, it can get a bit difficult, especially if you make your pancake big." She said.

Setsuna laughed. "I suck horribly at flipping pancakes. Mine always end up messy." She said.

Konoka waited another few minutes for the pancake to finish cooking, then flipped it, cooking the other side. She set the spatula down, then moved in front of Setsuna again, smiling. She stared into Setsuna's eyes, as she gently pinched Setsuna's leg. Setsuna jumped, and her legs opened slightly, exactly what Konoka wanted. She placed her hand on Setsuna's thigh, and slid her hand up, close to the junction of her legs. She stopped, and rested her hand there, wondering if it was doing anything to Setsuna. Setsuna leaned forward, bringing herself closer to Konoka's face. She reached down, and placed her hand on top of Konoka's.

"Whatcha tryin' to do, Konoka?" She asked, sliding Konoka's hand closer to where Setsuna knew she wanted to go. Konoka giggled, and kissed Setsuna again, placing her lips against Setsuna's. Setsuna lost her concentration when Konoka did that, and her grip on Konoka's hand loosened. She was mildly aware of Konoka sliding her hand closer, turning her on a bit, before she pulled her hand away, and breaking the kiss, laughing. "Haha, tricked you!!" She said. Setsuna looked at her questioningly.

"What?" She asked.

Konoka giggled. "You thought I was gonna do something, didn't you?" She asked. Setsuna smiled, blushing. "Maybe, just a bit..." She said. Konoka laughed. "Not right now, I'm not." She said. "But it was fun to get you turned on a bit." She said.

Setsuna stuck her tongue out at her. "You didn't get me turned on." She lied. Konoka smiled. "Oh, you may tell me that, but I know better." She said, turning back to the stove.

Setsuna glared at her. "That's not really fair..." She said softly. Konoka scooped up the pancake, and dropped it onto a plate. She then started to pour more mix into the pan.

"Aww come on Se-Chan, don't worry about it. If you ask real nice, I'll be really fair to you later tonight, maybe." She said. The implications of her words hit Setsuna hard, and she blushed.

_I wonder if she's serious...?_

After they had eaten, they tidied up the kitchen, and headed out. It was about ten o'clock, and Konoka had decided that they should get some exercise. Setsuna agreed, and they headed for the front of the main school building. Once they arrived there, they decided that they would jog for a bit, and they were about to take off, when someone called their names.

"Setsuna, Konoka!"

Konoka turned, and spotted Kaede, Fuka, and Fumika walking toward them, waving. Setsuna and Konoka waved back, and waited until they had reached them.

"Hi Kaede! How's it going, Fuka, Fumika?" Konoka asked.

"We're doing our walking club!" The twins shouted, grabbing Kaede's hands. "And big sister Kaede is coming with us!" Kaede smiled, and readjusted a small bag over her shoulder.

Konoka laughed. "But isn't walking club a school activity?" She asked. "There's no school until tomorrow!"

"Yeah, but we've been out of it for two months, we figure it's alright to get into it a bit early." The twins said. "You're part of the walking club, why don't you join us?"

"Hey, sounds like fun, wanna join them, Setsuna?" She asked. Setsuna nodded. "Sure." She said, stepping beside Konoka. They started walking, and Setsuna wondered where they were headed.

"Hey, where we going, anyway?" Setsuna asked.

Kaede shrugged. "We're the walking club, we have no set destination. We go anywhere we want, as long as we get there by walking." She said. Setsuna nodded. "Ahh, I see." She said. She was silent for a minute, before taking Konoka's hand. Konoka smiled at her, and squeezed her hand as they walked, making small talk. Talk between Kaede, Setsuna and Konoka was limited though, for the twins were more than able to fill the gaps between their talks.

Their walk took them past the front of the main school building, around the back, past Tatsumiya shrine, and eventually all the way to Library Island. They stopped there, and Kaede produced some cans of juice from her bag. She handed them out, and they sat down on the ground, sipping from the cans of juice.

"Hey, Kaede, this is pretty good, you get good juice, unlike Yue." Fuka said, Fumika quickly agreeing.

Kaede smiled. "Nin Nin!"

Fuka and Fumika laughed, as they always did when Kaede said that, and Setsuna smiled. _I wonder what that means...? I should ask her sometime._

Kaede checked her watch, and stood up. "Time to get going, twins." She said, tying the top to her bag. "You two coming?" She asked, indicating Konoka and Setsuna.

They shook their heads, saying that they were going to go inside Library Island, and check it out.

They waved to Kaede, and the twins as they walked off, heading somewhere else, and when they were out of sight, they walked into the Library. They didn't really expect anyone to be here, a day before school was due to start, so they were surprised when they rounded a corner, and almost collided with a book-laden Nodoka.

"Ah, Nodoka! What are you doing here?" Konoka asked. Nodoka laughed. "You have to ask?" She asked. "I practically live here." Setsuna laughed. "Haha yeah, that's true." She said.

"So are you organizing this place, or something?" She asked. Nodoka nodded. "Yeah, me, Yue, and Paru have been organizing and exploring this place since summer started." She said.

Konoka hummed. "Really?" She asked. "And you never got bored?"

Nodoka shook her head. "Not really, remember, we're all deeply interested in things like this, so while you guys were having fun doing whatever you were doing, we were having fun doing this." She said. "Plus the heat of the summer was almost non-existent to us, inside this place." She said. "We've been cool the whole summer."

Konoka laughed. "I guess that's one advantage, if you don't like the sun..."

Nodoka shrugged. "It's not that we don't like it, its just, if we're hot or over-heated, it makes looking and exploring and concentrating that much harder." She said. She walked into a room, and dropped the books onto a desk.

"You can just set them anywhere in here." She said. "We've got to organize them along the shelves according to the numbers on their bindings." She said. "And I doubt you want to do that for me." She said.

Konoka smiled. "We would, but we're in the middle of a date." She said. Nodoka was slow to clue in, and she looked at Konoka, confused.

"You're ona date with who?" She asked.

Konoka smiled, and took Setsuna's hand. "Setsuna!!" She said. Nodoka's eyes widened, and she bowed, apologizing as her face darkened.

"It's fine, don't worry about it." Setsuna said, laughing nervously. "We got that before, too."

Nodoka looked at Setsuna. "S-so, why are you dating Konoka?" She asked. "I-I mean, why are you two girls dating?" She asked. Konoka laughed. "We're not really dating, just, we're on a date." She said. "We're spending all day together." She said. Nodoka's blushed faded away, and she saw Yue enter behind Setsuna and Konoka.

"Ahh, Yue, perfect timing, see who came to visit?" She asked.

Yue waved at them, and took a sip from one of her strange juices. "Hey." She said. "Setsuna, jeez, I haven't seen you since class let out for summer." She said. "Glad to see your not all hung up on your training and your letting yourself come out of your shell more." She said.

Setsuna nodded. "Ahh, yeah, well, I figured I would spend some time with my friends, before school gets back in." She said. "Believe it or not, I didn't train _all_ summer." She said.

Yue nodded, then turned to Nodoka. "Let's go, I've found a new path in Sector B, area 13, and it leads to a bunch of unused passages that could contain God-knows how many books." She said. They left, saying their goodbyes to Konoka and Setsuna, leaving them alone.

_B13...that was a good movie..._Setsuna thought, before turning to Konoka. Setsuna was about to ask Konoka what she wanted to do now, but fell silent when she saw that Konoka was reading a book, flipping through the pages, looking for something.

Setsuna smiled, and knew that she hadn't been like this in a while...

_Setsuna stood in front of Konoka's bed, kodachi in hand, and stared at the door, the ticking of the bedside clock loud in her ears. It was really late at night, and Konoka was still up, reading a book. She had been reading for the last hour, and Setsuna decided to stay here and protect her until Konoka was done reading. She sighed, and leaned against the endboard of the bed, the ticking of the clock and the occaisional flipping of pages the only sounds she heard. Occaisionally she would hear a creak, or a pop, just the house settling, and she would be startled into alertness, holding her kodachi tight, before settling down as she realized it was nothing. After another hour, her legs started to hurt, and she sheathed her kodachi, climbing into Konoka's bed. _

_Konoka was already dressed in her pyjama's, and Setsuna took a few seconds to get out of her kimono, and something appropriate to sleep in. Konoka was still reading, halfway through the thick book she had started the night before, and if her reading patterns were anything to go by, then she would be up for at least another two hours, maybe three, reading her book. Setsuna yawned, and snuggled up to Konoka, placing her kodachi at the foot of the bed. No matter how hard she tried, she could never stay up as late as Konoka, and although she wanted to, she usually passed out long before Konoka retired to bed. Setsuna yawned again, and rested her head on Konoka's shoulder, watching Konoka slowly turn the pages, the word-filled pages making no sense to Setsuna.  
Eventually, Setsuna couldn't stay awake any longer, and she fell asleep on Konoka's shoulder, yawning one more time before she drifted off._

Setsuna smiled at the fond memories, and knew that they had spent many nights like that, for Konoka was an avid reader. Setsuna knew that she would love to fall asleep on Konoka's shoulder again, something she hadn't done since they were young.

"What are you reading?" Setsuna asked. Konoka leaned over, and showed her the cover of the book.

"See, it's called Sword Style: Defined." She said. "It shows a bunch of sword styles, and how they're performed." She said.

Setsuna was mildly surprised. "When did you get into books like that?" She asked. Konoka shrugged. "I don't know, a while ago." She said. "Your sword skills always impressed me, so eventually I started reading books about it." She said. Setsuna smiled. "That's cool." She said.

"When did you learn to cook, and join the walking club and stuff?" She asked.

Konoka smiled sadly. "Well, last year, I tried so hard to get your attention, but you simply didn't seem to want to be around me, so to counter the depression, I learned to cook, and eventually, I joined the walking club." She said. "The walking club was mainly to talk to Kaede, because she used to tell me stories of when you two would train together, and they always fascinated me." She said. "And reading, well, I always read, you know that, but lately, what I've become interested in reading is dictated mainly by what you're interested in." She said.

Setsuna looked at Konoka, and realized exactly what she meant. "I'm sorry, Konoka." She said. "But last year, my thinking was so flawed, and it kept be away from you so much." She said. "It must have appeared that I wasn't interested in you, but believe me, all I wanted to do was protect you." She said. Konoka smiled. "I know Se-Chan." She said. "It's okay. It's just that, when you weren't around, or you were training, I kept myself occupied by reading, cooking, or walking." She said.

Setsuna smiled. "I'm sorry." She said, before hugging Konoka. Konoka smiled, and returned the hug. "It's fine, I'm just glad that I get this year with you." She said. "It makes me so happy."

Setsuna smiled, and kissed her forehead. "Don't worry, I'll be by your side this whole year, non-stop." She said. "Now, I think we'll keep running into people no matter where we go, so let's go spend the rest of the day at one of our places." She said. "Have ourselves some privacy." She said. Konoka smiled at that, and took Setsuna's hand.

"Hmm, sounds like a good idea." She said. "Let's go."

A/N: Well, there's chapter 4, chapter 5 will be coming soon as I can get it typed. Tell me what ya think, and be honest. Thanks.


	5. Thinking

Time Marches On, Chapter Five.

Setsuna took Konoka's hand, and they started walking toward the Library's exit.

Konoka smiled apologetically at Setsuna. "I'm sorry that our date was just a lot of walking around." She said, "But it was the only thing I could think of on such short notice."

Setsuna smiled at her. "I don't think that it was just a bunch of walking." She said, opening the door to the Library. "I thought it was a perfect way to spend the day." She said. "I learned so much about you, and it made me realize many things." She said. Konoka squeezed Setsuna's hand, glad Setsuna didn't find the day boring. They walked back toward their dorm, in no hurry and taking their time as the setting sun warmed their back.

In the distance, they could see Kaede ahead of them, entering the dorms along with the twins. In a few minutes, Setsuna and Konoka arrived at the doors, and entered, stopping to let their eyes adjust to the slightly darker interior.

"Should we head to your room?" Setsuna asked. Konoka nodded. "Yeah, we wouldn't want to bug whoever's still in your dormitory." She said. They took a right turn, and headed down the hall, toward Konoka's dorm.

Konoka opened her door, and saw Asuna on her bunk, reading a book. Negi wasn't anywhere to be seen, so they figured he was still out. Asuna greeted them as they entered.

"Hey Konoka, Setsuna." She said, waving to them from her bunk. Konoka smiled and returned the wave, while Setsuna bowed slightly, placing her sword by the door.

"Ahh Setsuna, you don't have to bow." She said, laughing. "There's no need to be so formal." Setsuna stuttered out a reply, and that's when Asuna noticed they were holding hands. Her first reaction was a slight blush, but she also knew that this was something that was to be expected. Afterall, Konoka often talked about Setsuna, whether she was awake or not.

Asuna grinned slyly, and put the book down as Setsuna and Konoka momentarily let go of each other's hand to take their shoes off.

"So what's up with you guys, eh?" She said, and Setsuna could tell she was up to something just from the tone of her voice.

"N-nothing, why do you ask?" Setsuna said, walking toward Konoka's bunk. It was underneath Asuna's, so she temporarily dissappeared from Asuna's view. Konoka quickly joined her, and Asuna set her book down.

She hung over the railing, upside down, and looked under her bed. Setsuna and Konoka were laying on Konoka's bed, and they both looked at Asuna as she peeked over the edge of the bed.

"What are you two up to?" She asked, grinning. Konoka laughed, and hugged Setsuna. "Nothing, Se-Chan and I just got back from a date though." She said. Asuna smirked, before pursuing the matter. "A date, eh?" She asked. "That's cute." She said slyly.

Setsuna blushed, but Konoka only hugged her tighter. Asuna wanted to tease Setsuna further, but she was getting a head rush, so she sat up, and returned to her book, Two Foot Punch.

Setsuna waited until Asuna returned to her book before returning Konoka's hug. They laid together, holding each other tight, and although Asuna was directly above them, neither could resist sneaking in a kiss or two. At first they were small, short kisses, but eventually they turned to long, deep kisses. During one such kiss, Setsuna couldn't supress a moan, and Asuna flipped over the edge again, to see what they were doing. She was greeted by quite the sight.

Setsuna had managed to straddle Konoka, pinning her to the bed, and was now kissing her deeply. Both were blushing, but Asuna could tell that they were both enjoying it. She was content to watch, until Setsuna's hand came up and caressed Konoka's breast, evoking a moan from Konoka. Seeing such an action performed on Konoka, Asuna swiftly became embarrassed.

"Ya know, if you want to make out, I can leave." Asuna said. Setsuna and Konoka jumped apart, and looked up to see Asuna hanging over the edge of the bed again.

Setsuna felt the back of her neck heating up at having been caught kissing Konoka, and she averted her eyes from Asuna's gaze.

"Asunaaa..." Konoka said, obviously unhappy at being interrupted. Asuna laughed, and jumped down from her bunk. "Don't worry." She said. "I'm going over to Ayaka's for a bit." She said. "You two can have your fun in private." She said. She grabbed a jacket from the coat rack, and slipped it on, even though she didn't have to go outside to get to her dorm.

She left, shutting the door tightly behind her, and Setsuna looked at Konoka. Konoka returned her gaze, then smirked.

"I suggest we not waste any time." She whispered, leaning up and kissing Setsuna on the mouth. Setsuna closed her eyes as Konoka kissed her. They returned to their former position, Setsuna straddling Konoka's hips, except this time, noise wasn't an issue. The kissing reached a fever pace, and the touching wasn't far behind, as Setsuna got Konoka aroused again by gently rubbing her breast. Setsuna kissed Konoka's cheek, then kissed her way down to her neck. Setsuna slipped her canines lightly over Konoka's throat, not hard enough to cut her, but enough pressure to be mildly arousing. Setsuna stopped at Konoka's collar bone, and bit her gently, making Konoka's hips twitch against her. She kissed the spot she had lightly nipped, and licked it, letting her recover. Setsuna continued her ministrations with her hands, keeping Konoka in a heightened state of pleasure. Setsuna saw that the spot she had nipped was turning slightly red, and she licked it again, making Konoka moan. She kissed her collar bone, and then bit her again, this time hard enough to draw a small amount of blood. Konoka barely felt the mild pain through the pleasure, and she slipped her hands down Setsuna's back. Setsuna felt Konoka's hands running down her body, and shuddered lightly as Konoka's fingers found a sensitive spot on her lower back. She licked the small cut on Konoka's collar bone, then kissed her way lower.

The explorations continued for another ten minutes, before they were inturrupted once again by the door opening. Setsuna swiftly rolled off Konoka, and straightened her clothes. Konoka rapidly zipped up her jeans, and straightened her shirt, covering the small cut on her collar bone. Setsuna quickly checked herself over, and deemed herself to be appropriate. Konoka then laid against Setsuna, and Setsuna put her arms around Konoka's waist. Setsuna was leaning against the wall that the bed was against, and Konoka was between her legs, leaning back against her chest.

The intruder in question was Negi, and as he walked by the beds, he saw Konoka and Setsuna cuddling with each other. He smiled at them, and waved, greeting them. He didn't hear their mad scramble to fix their clothes, so he had no clue as to what they had just been doing.

"Hey Setsuna, Konoka." He said.

Setsuna tried madly to control her blush, but it was nearly impossible. "Good evening Negi-Sensei." She said. "Hi Negi-Kun!" Konoka said happily.

"Ready for your first year of Grade Nine tomorrow?" Negi asked, setting his bag down on the floor. Konoka nodded. "Yeah, I think it'll be exciting." She said. Negi smiled, and took a book off his shelf, opening it. Setsuna caught a glimpse at the title, and her eyes widened in surprise. It was labelled _Final Year Of Junior High: High School Prep_.

It wasn't the title specifically that surprised her, but what it was implying. Setsuna realized that she had wasted all of grade seven, and most of eight on her sword training, instead of spending time with Konoka.

She was about to ask about the book, when the door opened, and Asuna came in. She saw Negi facing the bunk, talking, and she figured Konoka and Setsuna were still here. She said hello to Negi, and went to the kitchen.

Negi continued to talk to the girls for a few minutes, then excused himself, saying that he had some work he needed to finish up. He climbed up to his own area, and Setsuna thought about the book.

"I sure have made some mistakes, huh?" Setsuna asked Konoka softly. Konoka asked what she meant.

"Well, all through grade seven and most of eight, all I did was practice swords." She said. "I spent almost no time with you, something I'm starting to regret now." She said. Konoka smiled. "That shouldn't bother you though." She said. "All that matters is what we do from now on, not what we've done or haven't done in the past."

Setsuna nodded. "It does bother me." She said. "Not only did I neglect you, I managed to waste all my time on something that I'll never need again, something that won't ever get me a real job once we get out of school." She said. "The more I think about it the more it bothers me." She said.

Konoka placed her hand on top of Setsuna's, and interlaced their fingers. "I don't think it was a waste of time." She said. Setsuna asked her why.

"Well, because, it certainly proved very useful on the field trip." She said. Setsuna shook her head.

"But what about now?" She asked. "Negi-Sensei has become a very strong mage, Evangeline is very powerful, Kaede and Ku Fei are also very strong. There's no need for my skills." She said. "And now, there are no enemies." She said. "There hasn't been an incident in months, and I'm starting to think that there won't ever be." She said. "The fight over who would control your powers has been won, and I don't see any new enemies on the horizon." She said. "It makes me feel almost...useless." She said.

Konoka shook her head. "Babe, you aren't useless, so please don't say that." She said. "True, there aren't any enemies right now, and you may feel like your pursuing a dead end, out of date art, but that's what I admire about you." She said. "You've chosen something, something difficult, and you've excelled in it." She said. "There aren't many people who can boast that they have mastered the ancient arts you've mastered, in this day of cell phones and technology." She said.

Setsuna was still feeling troubled.

"Yeah, but in the end, I'm thinking how it can benefit myself and you." She said. "And you've pointed out the biggest problem." She said. "With cell phones, cars, guns, everything is superior to what I'm practicing, and there's no job, no point in it any longer." She said. "I came to this conclusion last year." She said softly. "I had been thinking about it for a while. I continued to practice out of the desire to protect you, but I also thought that, if our relationship ever progressed, I wondered how I would provide for you." She said. "There's no money in the ancient arts."

Konoka smiled. "Will you make me a promise, Se-Chan?" She asked. Setsuna nodded. "I will." She said.

Konoka thought about how to phrase her request. "Hmm, will you promise me that no matter what happens, you will pursue whatever makes you the happiest?" She asked. "If it's the arts, then that's okay, as long as your happy." She said. "And if it's something else, something modern, then that's okay too." She said. "I just want you to be happy, and you won't be happy if your constantly worrying over pursuing something you enjoy versus pursuing something that will make you money." She said.

Setsuna sighed. "I'll have to think about what I want to do." She said. "I just don't know yet." Then she smiled. "But whatever I do, I promise that it will be because I want to." She said. Konoka nodded. "Thank you Setsuna." She said.

Setsuna was silent for a minute, and Asuna took that chance to intrude upon their quiet conversation to hand them two cups of chocolate milk. They both said their thanks, and sipped the cold liquid in silence. It was another ten minutes before Setsuna spoke up.

"Another thing that bothers me is how little memories we have of being together." She said. "There are the occaisional ones of us together when we were younger, but nothing recent." She said. Konoka laughed. "Setsuna, you gotta be more positive about things." She said.

Setsuna asked her what she meant. Konoka hummed. "Well, you say that having so little memories of us together bothers you, but it should only excite you." She said. Setsuna asked her why. "Because, if we don't have any recent memories of spending time together, then that gives us the chance to create some." She said. "If it bothers you so much that we have no recent good memories, because of your training, then spend more time with me in the future." She said. "Let's create some good memories."

Setsuna laughed. "It's amazing how you can find the good side of every bad situation." She said.

Konoka was silent, then asked a question. "Hey, how come you strived so hard at practicing your swords?" She asked.

Setsuna wondered if she really didn't remember. "Well, it was because of a promise we made with each other way back in grade six." She said. "Now that I think of it, it seems kind of stupid the way I hung on to it, I think I made it into a bigger deal than it was." She said.

Konoka thought about it, but couldn't remember any promise. "I'm sorry, but I don't remember." She said softly. "Would you mind retelling me about it?" She asked.

Setsuna smiled. "Sure babe." She said.

"It was near the end of grade six, and you had come to one of my kendo practices to watch me, and see what it was all about." She said. "I was so focussed on my training that I didn't see you until the class was over." She said. "When I did see you though, I went over to you to say hi. You were very excited, and all you talked about was how cool my kendo moves were." She said, laughing quietly. "When we were getting ready to leave, you looked at me and said, "Setsuna, since I'm the princess of the house, I will someday inherit the house from my father. When that day comes, I'll need a strong samurai to protect me. If you keep going, and stick with your training, then I'll ask you to be my samurai and protect me."" Setsuna said. Konoka blushed, not believing that she had said something like that, much less that Setsuna would remember it.

"How old were we when this happened?" She asked. Setsuna hummed, thinking about it. "Around twelve or thirteen." She said. "Like I said, I guess I made too much out of it, and since that day, I attacked my training with a new vigor, determined to become strong and have you ask me to be your samurai." She said.

Konoka apologized. "I'm sorry Setsuna." She said. "I had forgotten that I had said that, I'm sorry."

Setsuna laughed. "No, don't worry about it." She said. There was another long stretch of silence, in which much thinking was done.

"So, what do you think?" Konoka asked carefully.

Setsuna was silent a minute before answering. "Well, I have much more thinking to do, but I think I've come up with something." She said. Konoka asked what it was.

"Well, the main things that have been bothering me were that I wasn't spending time with you, and that I was practicing an art that was long dead." She said. "However, this year I'm going to do my best to arrange my training around time with you, instead of arranging time with you around my training." She said. "You're the most important person to me, and I want to show it." She said. "Also, I'm going to see if I can open an instructional training course to train and teach anyone interested in kendo." She said. "I might make it a joint effort with Ku Fei and Kaede, I know that their planning to train people to carry on their arts." She said. Then she smiled. "And hopefully, when the day comes that you inherit the house from your father, I'll be strong enough to be your samurai." She said. "Just like I promised."

"So you'll continue it?" She asked.

"Yes."

"That's good." She said. "I'm glad you have an idea of what you want to do." She said. "It'll take a bit more work, but I think it's achievable." She said.

Setsuna nodded. "Yes, now there's only one thing left to do." She said.

"What's that?"

"Have the best year with you, our friends, and Negi-Sensei ever!" She said. "It is, after all, our last year. It has to be the best."

A/N: Hmm...I've decided to extend it to 6 chapters. :) Please read and review.


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